AFTER THE WEDDING – Review by Sheila Roberts

Set against the backdrop of two vastly different worlds, one of abject poverty and another of extraordinary affluence, the past collides with the present in writer/director Bart Freundlich’s thought-provoking and sensitively directed film, After The Wedding. The gender-flipping reimagining of the 2006 Danish drama by Susanne Bier explores the complex inner lives of compellingly written characters and the impact their life choices have on them and those around them. When Isabel (Michelle Williams) travels to New York to solicit financial support for her orphanage in India, her wealthy patron, Theresa (Julianne Moore) invites her to attend her daughter Grace’s (Abby Quinn) wedding that weekend. It is there that Isabel makes a startling discovery, and her enigmatic past with Theresa’s husband, Oscar (Billy Crudup), is slowly revealed. That surprising connection abruptly upends everyone’s life and their relationships with one another. Freundlich elicits powerful performances from his talented actors. It’s an emotional journey with a riveting plot that’s both entertaining and filled with painful realizations as each character wrestles with his or her decisions. As the story unfolds, there are many unexpected twists along with several big turns that keep us on the edge of our seats until the very end. Freundlich devotes the first third of the film to slowly introducing us to his characters. Then, the plot revs up and shifts into high gear, and we see how adept he is at navigating the intriguing story. The production values are uniformly excellent. Moore, who is married to Freundlich, also produces

Sheila Roberts

Sheila Roberts is a Native Angeleno and alum of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television where I graduated with Masters degrees in Producing and Cinema & Media Studies. Over the years, she has written about film and entertainment for Collider, MoviesOnline, Hollywood News Wire, MovieScope Magazine, and Cineplex Entertainment, among other outlets.